It’s rare for a team that reached the NBA Finals to have such a puzzling and dramatic offseason, however the Boston Celtics come into training camp with more questions than answers. Most sportsbooks have set the win total for Boston between 53 and 55 depending on where you shop, and it seems unlikely, given their circumstances, they will reach that mark.
Coming off an extremely successful year in which they won 51 games, finished second in the Eastern Conference, and took the Golden State Warriors to six games in the NBA Finals, it seemed like Boston was poised to run it back for another deep playoff run. Their core eight players all return with another year of experience, and they added Malcolm Brogdon, a ball handler they desperately needed, as well as veteran scorer Danilo Gallinari to bolster their depth.
Then, the calendar flipped from August to September, and everything slid downhill. The most talked about story this fall is the one-year suspension of head coach Ime Udoka for “violations of team policies.” Gallinari was then lost for the season due to a knee injury suffered at EuroBasket. Lastly, frontcourt presence Robert Williams III was forced to have another knee surgery and will miss at least the first month of the season. Their reactionary moves? Nothing. Puzzling from a fan perspective for a team with such high expectations.
This is a team that started 25-25 last season before going on a tear over their final 32 games which continued through the playoffs. With the injuries to Gallinari and Williams, coupled with first time head coach Joe Mazzulla taking the reins unexpectedly, it’s not hard to envision a similar start. In the last five seasons, Boston has finished with 51, 36, 48, 49, and 55 wins respectively, eclipsing the current 54.5 projection only once and with a totally different roster.
The Celtics are still figured in to be the favorite to win the East with the core they have; two All-Stars in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and reigning Defensive Player of the Year in Marcus Smart, but finishing 30 games above .500 is no easy task even with a healthy rotation. With all the questions looming around this team, a win total around 50 seems more likely.
Bet: Boston Celtics Under 54.5 Wins (-135) at Bet365. 1.35 units